Whispers in the Dark

The Queen's personal handmaid, Adriana, had been with the Queen long before she had begun taking over Kingdoms. Long before Silver. Long before…

She was making the bed, although it had not been slept in, when a knock on the door in the other room made her pause. Hearing it open, without the need for her assistance, she continued in her task.

"Your majesty…" Silver's voice floated through the door which was ajar, and Adriana's ears perked up. The bonded man was filled with a rage that attempted to disguise the melancholy underneath; the longing for peace. He intrigued her. "I have done as was requested. They believe that they possess anti- magic powder. Obviously that is entirely impossible, but I thought that you should know all the same."

There was a pause, and Adriana, still listening, resisted the need to roll her eyes. The Queen would forget how to speak if she didn't at least try to talk.

"We cannot be too careful." As though she had heard the thought floating in Adriana's head, the Queen replied. "We shall pay them a visit… tonight."

"We, your Majesty?" There was no reply, and after a few moments, Adriana heard the sound of shuffling which she assumed was Silver bowing and leaving. "Yes your Majesty. I shall be ready when you call."

The door closed and Adriana finished with the bed before turning around.

She had entered so silently, that Adriana jumped at the sight of her.

"Oh, your Majesty… I didn't hear you come in." The Queen cocked her head to the side, staring intently at her hand maid. "Is there anything I can help with?"

The silent communication that the Queen was able to have with just her eyes was something that made most uncomfortable. Adriana had been around long enough to be able to read her, if not to fully understand her intricate peculiarities. Right now, she glanced back to the other room and then fixed her maid with that look again.

"Yes, I heard everything." The Queen frowned. "You know that I would never share a word you say in private, your Majesty."

The Queen continued to stare at Adriana, before stepping forward and pressing her hand against the woman's throat.

"Yes I know, or on my head be it. I've seen the assassins on the wall." Adriana stared in to the Queen's eyes. "I would never betray you. You would have to spend time finding my replacement, and you have much more valuable things to be doing with your time." She offered the Queen a smile to show her she was joking. The Queen released her. There was no hint of a smile, but Adriana knew that her humour had been accepted, because she wasn't currently gasping for air.

"You should sleep in your bed for once you know. I keep making it but there's no point if you're not going to use it." She picked up her cleaning equipment. "Good afternoon, your Majesty."

One day, Adriana thought as she marched through the castle halls, the Queen might get tired of her and she would end her life like snuffing out a candle. But for now, she was the only one that the Queen allowed to speak to her like that. She was the only one who knew her past. Whether that was what kept her alive, or what would eventually bring about her downfall, Adriana didn't know.

***

It wasn't until the sun had set that Silver was summoned. He slipped through the shadows until he had reached the gates of the castle, and silently he disappeared between them and out in to the city.

She was exactly where she promised to be.

"Your Majesty," he murmured. "Is this really advisable?"

Even in the dark of night her eyes pierced through him. He was silent as they began their journey through the narrow streets, the Queen's cloak swirling around her like ripples in water.

"Just through here your M-" She cut him off with a look. Discretion was key. They slid in to an alley and Silver, keeping his distance from the Queen, pointed at a window that was ajar and then at his ear. She glared at him and he shifted uncomfortably, unsure why she was angry. He turned and focused his attention on the window and the room beyond.

"-window for goodness sake. Anyone could listen in."

"It's bloody stifling in here with that fire on and I'm not closing the damn window. Unless the Queen is willing to come out of that fucking castle and listen at our window, there's no one who would hear what we've got to say and report back. They all hate the evil bitch."

Silver glanced over at the Queen only to find that she was fixed intently on him, rather than the window. Her face was in shadow, so he couldn't see her expression, but he could still see those eyes peering out from beneath her hood. There was a circle of white around her iris. Magic…

"-smuggled them in. Their heads are on her wall now. Don't know what happened to the girl though." Silver purposefully showed no emotion at the mention of the girl he had let escape. "We have to wait for orders from the command. They're terrified that she'll take over their city, and they want her gone before she decides to move on from here."

"Yes, yes, we know. So we keep smuggling assassins in until there's no more room on her walls? They have to come up with a better plan."

"Sure they will. This powder will help."

"Yeah, if it works."

***
Silver stepped back in to the street, the Queen in front of him.

"Your Majesty… we cannot do anything to them. They could lead us to this command, and that is far more important. These people will just find another way in if we kill these men now."

The Queen's only answer was to turn, with a swish of her cloak, and head in the direction of the castle. Silver followed, like the obedient servant he wished that he wasn't.